Electric coupling device.



T. R. BROWN.

ELECTRIC COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I4, I9I4. IIENEwED SEPT. I. 191s.

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T. R. BROWN.

ELECTRIC COUPLING DEVICE. APPLlcATroN FILED MAY14.1914. RENEWED sEPT..1916.

:11. 5,222,599 Patent-ed Apr. 17, 1917.

wilNllED STATES PATENT FFFQE.

THOMAS R. BROWN, OF SPARKILL, NEW YORK, ASSGNOR TO THE `)VESTINGIEICOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC COUPLING DEVICE.

Application led May 14, 1914, Serial No. 838,417.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sparkill, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Coupling Devices, of which `the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric train line couplings, and more particularly to the type in which a movable contact carrier is adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connectingr the train line circuits.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an electric train line coupling of the above type in which the contact carrier is automatically projected by mechanical means includinv a s rin@ ada ted to be acted upon by the coming together of counterpart couplings for storing the energy for projecting the carrier.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following more detailed description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a horizontal section of two counterpart couplings embodying my invention and shown in the coupled position; Fig. 2a horizontal section of the coupling, with the parts in normal position; Fig. 3 a detail sectional view on the line a-a of Fig. 2; Fig. 4L an enlarged plan view in detail of the toggle lever' operating parts; Fig. 5 a detail sectional view on the line -Z) of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 a partial end view of the contact carrier; Fig. 7 a horizontal sectional View of a pair of connected couplings showing a slightly modified construction; and Fig. 8 a similar view, showing the coupling in normal position.

According to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the coupling may comprise a casing 1 containing a mov- V able slide or Contact carrier 2 adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits.

As in my pending application, Serial No. 8281166, filed March 31, 1914, the casing may be provided with a row of fixed contacts connected to the respective train line circuits, and the contact carrier 2 with parallel rows of connected contacts adapted upon projection of the contact carrier to connect the fixed contacts of the counterpart cou- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 191'?.

Renewed September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,948.

plings. The above mentioned contacts are not shown in the present drawings since the application of same to the present construction will be obvious.

For projecting the contact carrier a toggle lever mechanism is provided comprising an arm 3 pivotally mounted on the carrier and an arm 4 pivoted to the arm 3 and including a coil spring 5. The arm t of the toggle lever mechanism is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 6 which is pivotally mounted on the contact carrier 2 and the other end oi' said lever is pivoted to a spring casing 7 adapted to slide within a spring casing 8 pivotally mounted on the coupling casing 1. A spring 9 is mounted within the casings 7 and 8 and tends to yieldingly hold the casings apart. For limiting the outward movement of the casing 7, the proximate ends of the casings 7 and 8 are provided with interlocking flanges.

Mounted on the pivot pin 10 of the arm 3 is a lever 11 carrying at its outer end a roller 12 and said lever is provided with a projecting tongue 13, contained within a recess in the arm 3 and serving as an abutment for a coil spring 14, which bears against the interior side wall of the arm and tends to maintain the lever 11 in its retracted position.

In the normal position of the parts, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, a projection 15 of the casing 1, engages the roller 12 so that when two couplings are brought together, and the meeting faces of the counterpart contact carriers 2 engage, the inward or retractive movement of the carriers permits the projection 15 to act as a fulcrum for the roller 12. This causes a swinging movement of the lever 1l and thereby the toggle arms 3 and -L are rocked in a direction tending to bring the arms into alinement, and since the respective pivot ends of the arms 3 and 4 are iiXed on the carrier 2, this movement operates to compress the spring 5.

As the resistance of the spring 5 and the frictional resistance of the contact carrier can never be exactly alike in two couplings, it will be evident that in the retractive movement of the contact carriers, the one which has the greater resistance will finally eiect a suicient rotation of the lever 11 on the other coupling to cause the roller 12 to slip past the iixed projection 15. The relation of the parts is such that at this point the arms 3 and 4f are sufliciently out of alinement so that the compressive force stored in the spring 5 immediately acts to throw the arms back to the normal position. On the other coupling, however, the arms 3 and 4L are prevented from moving back by the continued engagement of the roller 12 with the projection 15 and consequently, the compressive force of the spring 5 acts to project the contact carrier into the counterpart coupling, the opposite contact carrier offering little resistance to movement owing to the doubling up of the toggle arm connection.

The projection of the contact carrier then operates through its contacts to electrically connect the fixed contacts in the counterpart couplings and thereby the electric train line circuits.

In the coupling in which the contact carrier is retracted, the spring 9 is compressed `as shown at the right in Fig. 1 and the compressive force of this spring is employed to efect the release as will be hereinafter explained.

In order to uncouple, the toggle arm conn nection is provided at its iioating pivot with a laterally extending trip finger 16 having a recess into which a longitudinally movable bar 17 extends. The finger 16 is guided laterally by the side walls of a lateral opening in the contact carrier and the pivot end has a slot 18 to permit of the necessary rocking movement of the arms 3 `and 4.

The outer lateral wall 19 of the finger 16 is inclined and when thel contact carrier is in its projected position, said wall engages a corresponding inclined face on the end of the bar 17, as shown at the left in Fig. 1.

At the rear of the casing 1 is provided a cylinder for a piston 20 carried by the bar 17 and said piston is subject to a spring 21 acting to normally maintain the bar in its outerl position. A pipe 22 communicates with the chamber at the opposite side of the piston 2O and when it is desired to uncouple, iiuid under pressure is admitted through pipe 22 to the piston 20. Said piston is thereupon shifted rearwardly carrying with it the bar 17 and thereupon the linger 1G is forced laterally outward by the engagement of the inclined face of the bar with the side wall 19 of the iinger 1G.

The toggle lever connection is thus tripped on the projected contact carrier and this permits the spring 9 to act to return both the retracted and the projected contact carriers to normal position, so that the couplings may be disconnected. The release of the couplings may also be effected manually by providing a pull rod 23 on the bar 17, so that the toggle arm connection may be tripped by pulling on the rod 23.

In the movement of the retracted contact carrier to reiease position, the roller 12 will flip past the projection 15 since the lever 11 can rock rearwardly against the resistance of the spring 14E.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the spring 9 also acts in a direction to throw the contact carrier to its projected position and in fact, this spring may be employed for that purpose, omitting the spring 5 in the toggle arm 4, although I prefer the iirst mentioned construction as more effective.

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, I have shown a coupling construction embodying my invention and similar' tothat shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but in this case the spring 5 is omitted and the spring 9 performs the u work of projecting the contact carrier.

It will be evident that the operation is the same as that of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and will thus require no further description.

I have, however, shown an additional spring 24 within the spring casing 8, which is arranged to be compressed during the final movement of the contact carrier to its retracted position. The purpose of this spring is to provide some additional force to initially aid in effecting the release move ment of the couplings.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. `In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train lin-e circuits, of a spring acted upon by the coming together of counterpart couplings for storing energy and a system of levers operated by the spring for projecting the contact carrier.

2. In an electric train line coupling, theV combination with a casing containing a inevable contact carrier adapted to beA projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a spring adapted to be compressed by the coming together of counterpart couplings and a lever mechanism operated by the expansion of the spring for projecting the contact carrier.

3. In an electric train line coupling, the

trically connecting the train line circuits, 0I 13o 1,222,599 t, ii

a toggle lever mechanism for projecting the contact carrier and including a spring, means actuated by the retraction of the contact carrier upon the coming together of counterpart couplings for rocking the toggle lever mechanism to compress the spring and operating to release the spring upon a predetermined movement, to thereby permit the projection of the contact carrier of the counterpart coupling by the expansion of thel spring.

5. Inan electric train line coupling, the combination With a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever mechanism operatively connected to the contact carrier, a spring for actuating said toggle lever mechanism to project the contact carrier, a stop acting ag an abutment for permitting the compression of the spring upon the coming together of counterpart couplings, and adapted to release the spring` upon a predetermined movement of the contact carrier.

G. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, oi a toggle lever mechanism operatively connected to the contact carrier, a spring adapted to be compressed by the retractive movement of the contact carrier upon the coming together of counterpart couplings, a stop, and a trigger adapted to iengage the stop to permit the compression of the spring.

7. In an electric train line coupling', the combination With a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever mechanism operatively connected to the contact carrier, a spring adapted to be compressed by the retractive movement of the contact carrier upon the coming together of counterpart couplings, a stop, and a trigger cooperating with the spring and adapted to engage the stop to permit the compression of the spring and operated by a further movement of the contact carrier to pass the stop and release the spring.

8. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever mechanism containing a spring and operatively connected to the contact carrier, a stop, and a lever carried by the toggle lever mechanism for engaging the stop upon the coming together of counterpart couplings for rocking the toggle lever mechanism to compress the spring.

9. In an electric train line coupling, the combination With a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever mechanism containing a spring and operatively connected to the contact carrier, a stop, and a lever carried by the toggle lever mechanism for engaging the stop upon the coming together of counterpart couplings for rocking` the toggle lever mechanism to compress the spring, said lever being adapted to pass by the stop upon a further movement of the parts to thereby relieve the springof compression.

10. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a casing containing a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever` mechanism operatively connected to and adapted to project the contact carrier and a trip device for throwing the toggle lever mechanism to release position.

ll. In an electric train line coupling, the combination with a. casingcontaining a movable contact carrier adapted to be projected into a counterpart coupling for electrically connecting the train line circuits, of a toggle lever mechanism operatively connected to and adapted to project the contact carrier, a trip rod carried by the toggle lever mechanism, and a bar for actuating said rod to trip the toggle lever mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS R. BROWN. Witnesses:

A. M. CLEMENTS, BARBARA HERBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G. 

